Schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday, November 11, after a series of hoax bomb threats, according to France 24. Similar hoax threats were reported in schools in Britain, Scotland and Ireland. The Italian incidents are part of a wider string of threats and cyberattacks across Europe.
The number of affected Italian schools is disputed. Rappler’s report, which cites Reuters, says around 6,300 Italian schools received bomb warnings. However, a photo caption in the same Rappler report says the alerts prompted evacuations in at least 300 schools. No source reconciles the two figures. Rappler’s page is labeled as AI-generated, so its wording should be checked against the original Reuters report.
According to Rappler, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said many of their schools received a similar email threat from abroad. Authorities classed it as a hoax, and it did not disrupt classes there. A copy of the email seen by Reuters included a threat to target Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the threats were part of a clear strategy "to spread fear and create anxiety," according to Adnkronos, as reported by Rappler. Crosetto’s comments are his own claims and have not been independently confirmed.
The Italian threats follow hoax bomb alerts on flights across Europe and cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems in several European countries, including Italy, according to France 24. The same purported author claimed responsibility for email bomb threats sent on Friday to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria, according to Reuters as reported by Rappler. The email signature is the only place the author is named, and no independent identification has been confirmed.
Some European officials suspect Russia may be behind the disruption campaign. Russia denies this and accuses the West of a smear campaign. On Tuesday, France summoned Iran’s ambassador over an alleged cyberattack that disabled refrigerators in hundreds of supermarkets. Iran rejected the accusations.
Italian police and public bodies are monitoring the situation. The sources do not say whether schools will reopen on a set timeline, or whether an investigation has named any suspects. Much of the detail on the Italian figures rests on Rappler, and a Japan Times item could only be checked as a headline and short excerpt, so its details remain unverified.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.